Many people have difficulty sitting comfortably in an unsupported upright position for long periods of time, and many people have difficulty resting or sleeping in an upright position during, e.g., long trips in airplanes and other public or private conveyances. The space allocated for each person in such vehicles is limited and a seated passenger is constrained to a limited range of positions. Although seats may be reasonably comfortable for short period of time, over longer periods of time they can become very uncomfortable and passengers often arrive at their destinations very stiff, sore, and tired. Various approaches have been used in an effort to address this problem and provide an increased level of comfort, but devices known in the prior art have not proven to be fully effective in addressing the need.
In one approach, a device for supporting the head of a user has a padded rest on a frame that is hung around the user's neck and supported by the neck and upper torso. Although this design allows the user to rest his or her head, the weight of the head is simply transferred to another part of the body and can result in strain on the neck.
In another approach, a device with members to fit under the user's arms for supporting the upper body, in the manner of a pair of crutches, has been suggested. Various ways of providing support for the underarm members have been disclosed. This design can achieve the primary purpose of providing some relief to the back of the user, but requires the user's upper body weight to be supported solely by a small area under the arms. The force imposed under the arms can impede circulation and become very uncomfortable in a short period of time. Most examples of this design approach provide no support for the head.
Another approach discloses a seat structure in which a user fastens himself or herself into a vest-like arrangement to support the body. The seat apparatus would necessarily be fixed in position in the vehicle, for use by each passenger who uses the seat, whether a particular passenger needed the support or not.
There remains a need for a device to support the head of a seated user, that is easily portable, easily positioned for use, compact, and easily adjusted. There is also a need for such a support device to support a user in a comfortable forward leaning position.